Dan Lanning And The Ducks Know Saturday's Game Is A Big One

Oregon coach Dan Lanning talks with quarterback Bo Nix (10) after a scoring drive against Hawaii during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Andy Nelson)

750 THE GAME STAFF

Dan Lanning and the No. 8 Oregon Ducks travel north to face No. 7 Washington on Saturday (12:30 p.m., ABC), and the Ducks head coach joined John Canzano on the Bald Faced Truth to preview the matchup with the Huskies.

Earlier in the week, Husky Honk Dave ‘SOFTY’ Mahler from KJR Sports Radio in Seattle tried to push all the pressure of the game on the Ducks, saying it would be an “embarrassment” if Oregon lost to Washington since the Ducks are clearly so much better than the Huskies in every facet.

Does Lanning care about the outside noise?

“Ultimately, I guess that guy, I don’t know who he is, but he’s not going to play in the game, so it doesn’t really matter,” Lanning responded on 750 The Game. “We have to focus on the reality of who is playing in this game — our players. I don’t get to play in it either. So it’s really about what our players are going to do and what they’re going to execute when it comes to gameday.

“Here’s what I know. There’s two really good teams that are about to play in this game. And they’re both really talented. And both are certainly capable of winning. And it’s going to be about who performs the best.”

Saturday will be the 115th all-time meeting between the two rivals who head together to the Big Ten Conference next season. It’s the first time both teams meet on the field while ranked in the top-ten of the AP Poll.

“It’s a great matchup,” said Lanning. “I don’t think it’s ever been this highly-ranked, not that rankings matter at all, but I think it does show that you’re talking about two really good teams. So we’re going to go out there and play the game and see what happens.”

The Oregon defense is top 10 in the nation right now. A huge improvement over last season’s team. Lanning says the Ducks are good on defense but they haven’t played a team like Washington.

“Look our guys are playing at a high level right now, but we haven’t played Washington. They’re the best team we’ve seen so far this season. They’re really good. Excited to see what it looks like. I think there’s going to be some ebbs and flows in the game and part of winning the battle see who can keep their composure when something doesn’t go right.”

Listen to the full interview with Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning at the podcast below.